Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Lafayette, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,648 a month against $2,374 in Lafayette, IN, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Lafayette, IN
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Lafayette, IN Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Lafayette, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Lafayette, IN

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tokyo and in Lafayette, IN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in Tokyo versus $2,374 in Lafayette, IN.

Tokyo $1,648
Lafayette, IN $2,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Tokyo versus $3,412 in Lafayette, IN.

Tokyo $2,604
Lafayette, IN $3,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,561 in Tokyo versus $4,449 in Lafayette, IN.

Tokyo $3,561
Lafayette, IN $4,449

Living in Tokyo costs roughly 31% less than in Lafayette, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tokyo 22% above, Lafayette, IN 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,230

$16.29 $16.29

-52.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 ¥6,094

$75.3 $75.3

-48.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$11.41 $11.41

-56.27%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$4.85 $4.85

-26.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥249

$2.43 $2.43

-35.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$2.21 $2.21

-59.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$4.96 $4.96

-24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$7.93 $7.93

-34.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.10 $1.10

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$3.10 $3.10

-43.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$5.34 $5.34

4.12%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$3.04 $3.04

-25.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$8.76 $8.76

29.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$10.98 $10.98

-38.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$13.27 $13.27

26.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$4.43 $4.43

5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.91 $1.91

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$4.06 $4.06

6.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$4.80 $4.80

8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$2.79 $2.79

19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$2.72 $2.72

10.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.97 $1.97

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$1.94 $1.94

-57.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$8.12 $8.12

-52.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$12.78 $12.78

-25.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.76 $1.76

-7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$3.37 $3.37

-22.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$4.89 $4.89

-75.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$40.79 $40.79

52.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.27 $3.27

-2.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$1.44 $1.44

114.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$20.24 $20.24

-7.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$0.87 $0.87

27.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$34.3K $34.3K

-35.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$25.9K $25.9K

-41.93%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$148 ¥23.4K

$192 $192

-22.77%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.75 ¥3,594

$68.6 $68.6

-66.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$61.7 $61.7

-51.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$32.71 $32.71

100.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

$25.24 $25.24

3.76%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$12.16 $12.16

8.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$1,467 $1,467

-10.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$30.9K $30.9K

-42.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$49.37 $49.37

10.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$39.89 $39.89

-17.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$93.1 $93.1

-29.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$50.5 $50.5

39.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$1,277 $1,277

0.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$1,181 $1,181

-42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$2,108 $2,108

18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$1,780 $1,780

-17.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$1,871 $1,871

391.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,829 $1,829

131.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

$3,294 $3,294

-9.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

6.67

-66.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lafayette, IN: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Lafayette, IN

$1.2K 49.8% 72.6% $497

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Lafayette, IN

$356 15% 9.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Lafayette, IN

$322 13.6% 60.5% $121

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Lafayette, IN

$282 11.9% 77% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Lafayette, IN

$105 4.4% 4.4% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Lafayette, IN

$57 2.4% 38% $35

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Lafayette, IN

$71 3% 17.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Tokyo and $1,277 in Lafayette, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lafayette, IN pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $75.0 in Lafayette, IN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $356 per month, with Tokyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇺🇸 Lafayette, IN

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

13 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

121,324

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Tokyo Lafayette, IN 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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Lafayette, IN

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tokyo vs Lafayette, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Lafayette, IN differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,648 vs $2,374 including rent). Tokyo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Lafayette, IN. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,288 in Tokyo versus $1,277 in Lafayette, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lafayette, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tokyo – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $75.0 in Lafayette, IN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,648 in Tokyo versus $2,374 in Lafayette, IN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Lafayette, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tokyo and Lafayette, IN are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Lafayette, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.